Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Has to be the most oppressive 'feel good' picture in movie history.
– Paul Tatara,
CNN.com,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Not since Gump has there been such a pandering, faux-virtuous package of populist pap for Hollywood to shove in the faces of electioneering politicos and say: Look, we don't just market unwholesome swill to families, we market wholesome swill, too.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jun 2001
rotten:
With its smorgasbord of moralizings, Pay It Forward is a confusing welter of sentiment.
– Peter Rainer,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
25 Jun 2001
rotten:
Less a worthy achievement than a nice try.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
22 Mar 2002
fresh:
Spacey and Hunt create interestingly layered characters who are hiding parts of themselves from themselves. And come Oscar time, Osment once again may be saying, 'I see tuxedoed people.'